LCRA updating Water Management Plan for Highland Lakes

Plan determines how water is allocated during times of drought

LCRA manages lakes Travis and Buchanan under a state-approved Water Management Plan.

LCRA is in the process of updating the most recent plan, which was approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in 2010.

​LCRA submitted an
application to amend the current plan in 2012. In May 2014, TCEQ recommended LCRA consider further changes to its 2012 application.

In August 2014, the LCRA Board of Directors adopted a framework for revising the plan based on TCEQ’s recommendations. After a series of meetings with stakeholders representing interests throughout the basin, the LCRA Board accepted staff-proposed revisions on Sept. 17, 2014. LCRA submitted an
amended and restated application​ to TCEQ on Oct. 31, 2014.

The 2014 application will allow LCRA to adapt its operations more quickly as drought conditions change. A primary goal of the revisions is to maintain combined storage in lakes Travis and Buchanan above 600,000 acre-feet through a repeat of historic hydrology. The revisions also establish three sets of operating conditions used to determine the amount of interruptible water available for agriculture and environmental flows.

Water Management Plan background

LCRA's Water Management Plan is the only one of its kind in the state. It is required by a 1988 court order that determined water rights for the Highland Lakes and the lower Colorado River basin. The state approved the first Water Management Plan in 1989. Updates were approved in 1991, 1992, 1999 and 2010. TCEQ approved the current version of the Water Management Plan on Jan. 27, 2010.

The Water Management Plan governs LCRA's operation of the Highland Lakes to meet the needs of major water users throughout the lower Colorado River basin.

During drought, the plan requires the curtailment or cutback of interruptible stored water from the Highland Lakes for downstream agriculture so that firm water supplies will be available for the basic needs of cities, businesses and industries. The plan also prescribes how LCRA must provide water from the lakes to help meet the environmental needs of the lower Colorado River and Matagorda Bay at various trigger points.

Almost immediately after TCEQ approved the Water Management in 2010, LCRA began the process of updating it.

In 2010, LCRA brought together a diverse group of people representing various interests that depend on Highland Lakes water. This advisory committee included members representing cities, industry, lake area businesses and residents, agriculture and the environment.
See the advisory committee meetings archives.

Drought Contingency Plan

Until TCEQ approves amendments to the Water Management Plan, LCRA's Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) can be found in Chapter 4 of LCRA's Water Management Plan (WMP). In November 2013, the LCRA Board adopted a
temporary amendment to the DCP to help address the severe drought. The amendment required firm customers such as cities to implement maximum once-a-week watering schedules. Once the amended WMP is approved by the TCEQ, LCRA will develop conforming, stand-alone Drought Contingency Plan​s for its customers consistent with TCEQ’s rules (including those related to public input) and the revised WMP.​​